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Next.js 15 Fullstack (App Router + Server Actions) · Lección

Errores de validación por campo con useActionState

Devuelva resultados de validación estructurados desde las acciones y muestre mensajes de error junto a cada campo.

Errores de validación por campo con useActionState es una lección gratuita de Next.js 15 Fullstack (App Router + Server Actions) en CoddyKit. Esta es la lección 3 de 4. Puedes leer la lección completa abajo gratuitamente — luego la practicas en el navegador con un editor de código integrado y un tutor de IA 24/7. Forma parte de la ruta de aprendizaje de Next.js 15 Fullstack (App Router + Server Actions), y tu progreso se sincroniza en la web y la app de CoddyKit. El curso de Next.js 15 Fullstack (App Router + Server Actions) incluye 4 lecciones en total.

Partes de esta lección aún no han sido traducidas y se muestran en inglés.

Why Field-Level Errors?

When a form fails validation, users need to know exactly which field is wrong and why. A single banner saying "Something went wrong" forces them to guess.

In Next.js 15, Server Actions paired with useActionState let you return a structured result from the server and render an inline error right beneath each input.

  • email is invalid → show the error under the email field
  • password is too short → show it under the password field

This lesson shows how to return that structure and render it cleanly.

Shaping the Action State

Start by deciding the shape of what your action returns. A good pattern keeps per-field errors in an errors map keyed by field name, where each value is an array of messages.

Defining a TypeScript type makes the contract explicit for both the action and the component.

export type FieldErrors = {
  email?: string[];
  password?: string[];
};

export type SignupState = {
  errors?: FieldErrors;
  // value the user typed, so we can re-fill the form
  values?: { email?: string };
  // a top-level message for non-field errors
  message?: string;
};

export const initialState: SignupState = {};

Validating with Zod in the Action

A schema library like Zod gives you both validation and a ready-made error structure. Call safeParse so failures don't throw — instead you inspect the result.

flatten().fieldErrors returns exactly the { field: string[] } shape we designed, so it maps directly onto our state.

import { z } from 'zod';

const SignupSchema = z.object({
  email: z.string().email('Enter a valid email'),
  password: z.string().min(8, 'At least 8 characters'),
});

const result = SignupSchema.safeParse({
  email: 'not-an-email',
  password: '123',
});

if (!result.success) {
  // { email: ['Enter a valid email'], password: ['At least 8 characters'] }
  console.log(result.error.flatten().fieldErrors);
}

The Server Action Signature

An action used with useActionState receives two arguments: the previous state and the submitted FormData. It must return the next state.

Mark the file or function with 'use server'. Read values with formData.get(...), validate, and return errors instead of throwing.

'use server';

import { z } from 'zod';
import type { SignupState } from './state';

const SignupSchema = z.object({
  email: z.string().email('Enter a valid email'),
  password: z.string().min(8, 'At least 8 characters'),
});

export async function signup(
  prevState: SignupState,
  formData: FormData,
): Promise<SignupState> {
  const email = String(formData.get('email') ?? '');
  const password = String(formData.get('password') ?? '');

  const parsed = SignupSchema.safeParse({ email, password });

  if (!parsed.success) {
    return {
      errors: parsed.error.flatten().fieldErrors,
      values: { email }, // keep email, never echo the password
    };
  }

  // ...persist the user here...
  return { message: 'Account created' };
}

Wiring useActionState

In your client component, call useActionState(action, initialState). It returns a tuple:

  • state — the latest value your action returned
  • formAction — pass this to the form's action prop
  • isPending — true while the action runs (great for disabling the button)

Remember the 'use client' directive — hooks only run in client components.

'use client';

import { useActionState } from 'react';
import { signup } from './actions';
import { initialState } from './state';

export function SignupForm() {
  const [state, formAction, isPending] = useActionState(
    signup,
    initialState,
  );

  return (
    <form action={formAction}>
      {/* inputs go here */}
      <button disabled={isPending}>
        {isPending ? 'Creating...' : 'Sign up'}
      </button>
    </form>
  );
}

Rendering an Inline Error

To show a field error, read it from state.errors?.fieldName. Because each field holds a string array, render the first message (or map over all of them).

Use optional chaining so the very first render — when errors is undefined — doesn't crash.

<div>
  <label htmlFor="email">Email</label>
  <input
    id="email"
    name="email"
    type="email"
    defaultValue={state.values?.email}
  />
  {state.errors?.email && (
    <p className="error">{state.errors.email[0]}</p>
  )}
</div>

Accessibility: Linking Errors to Inputs

Screen readers should announce the error and tie it to the field. Two attributes do the heavy lifting:

  • aria-invalid — set true when the field has an error
  • aria-describedby — point to the id of the error element

Give the error element a stable id and a polite live region so updates are read aloud.

<input
  id="email"
  name="email"
  type="email"
  defaultValue={state.values?.email}
  aria-invalid={!!state.errors?.email}
  aria-describedby="email-error"
/>
{state.errors?.email && (
  <p id="email-error" className="error" aria-live="polite">
    {state.errors.email[0]}
  </p>
)}

Preserving User Input

Because the form re-renders from server state, an uncontrolled input would lose what the user typed. Return the safe values from the action and feed them back with defaultValue.

Never echo passwords back to the client. Only return non-sensitive fields like email so the user doesn't retype everything after a validation error.

// in the action, on failure:
return {
  errors: parsed.error.flatten().fieldErrors,
  values: { email }, // safe to round-trip
  // password is intentionally omitted
};

// in the component:
<input name="email" defaultValue={state.values?.email} />
<input name="password" type="password" /> {/* always blank */}

A Pure Validation Helper You Can Test

Validation logic doesn't need Next.js to be correct. Extract it into a pure function that takes plain values and returns the same { field: string[] } error map. This is trivially unit-testable and runnable on any judge.

type FieldErrors = { email?: string[]; password?: string[] };

function validateSignup(email: string, password: string): FieldErrors {
  const errors: FieldErrors = {};

  const emailOk = /^[^@\s]+@[^@\s]+\.[^@\s]+$/.test(email);
  if (!emailOk) errors.email = ['Enter a valid email'];

  if (password.length < 8) errors.password = ['At least 8 characters'];

  return errors;
}

const e1 = validateSignup('bad', '123');
console.log(e1); // { email: [...], password: [...] }

const e2 = validateSignup('a@b.co', 'longenough');
console.log(Object.keys(e2).length === 0); // true

console.log(JSON.stringify(validateSignup('x@y.com', 'short')));

Multiple Errors per Field

A single field can fail several rules at once (empty, too short, wrong format). Since each entry is an array, you can render every message as a list.

Zod naturally accumulates multiple issues per field, so fieldErrors.password may contain more than one string.

{state.errors?.password && (
  <ul className="error-list">
    {state.errors.password.map((msg) => (
      <li key={msg}>{msg}</li>
    ))}
  </ul>
)}

Top-Level vs Field Errors

Not every failure belongs to a field. A duplicate-email conflict from the database, or a generic server fault, is a form-level message.

Keep both channels in your state: errors for per-field issues and message for the whole form. Render the top-level message above the fields so it isn't missed.

// in the action, after a successful parse:
try {
  await createUser(email, password);
} catch (err) {
  if (isUniqueViolation(err)) {
    return { errors: { email: ['Email already in use'] } };
  }
  return { message: 'Something went wrong. Please try again.' };
}

// in the component, above the fields:
{state.message && <p role="alert">{state.message}</p>}

Quick Check

Test your understanding of the action contract used by useActionState.

Recap

You can now build field-level validation with Server Actions and useActionState:

  • Shape the state with an errors map of { field: string[] }, plus optional values and a top-level message.
  • Validate in the action with safeParse and return flatten().fieldErrors — return, never throw.
  • Wire the hook with useActionState(action, initialState) and pass formAction to the form; use isPending for the button.
  • Render inline from state.errors?.field, with aria-invalid and aria-describedby for accessibility.
  • Preserve input via defaultValue, but never echo passwords.
  • Separate channels: per-field errors vs form-wide message.

Preguntas frecuentes

¿La lección «Errores de validación por campo con useActionState» es gratis?

Sí — el texto completo de «Errores de validación por campo con useActionState» es gratis para leer aquí en la web. Para practicarla de forma interactiva (editor de código integrado y tutor de IA 24/7) y desbloquear el resto del curso de Next.js 15 Fullstack (App Router + Server Actions), actualiza a CoddyKit PRO. El curso de Next.js 15 Fullstack (App Router + Server Actions) incluye 4 lecciones en total.

¿Qué aprenderé en «Errores de validación por campo con useActionState»?

Devuelva resultados de validación estructurados desde las acciones y muestre mensajes de error junto a cada campo. Practicas Next.js 15 Fullstack (App Router + Server Actions) con código real que ejecutas directamente en el navegador, y un tutor de IA 24/7 responde tus preguntas mientras trabajas en la lección.

¿Necesito experiencia previa para empezar Next.js 15 Fullstack (App Router + Server Actions)?

No se requiere experiencia previa. Next.js 15 Fullstack (App Router + Server Actions) en CoddyKit está estructurado para principiantes hasta estudiantes avanzados, así que puedes empezar aquí o desde el inicio y avanzar a tu ritmo. Esta es la lección 3 de 4.

¿Cuánto tiempo toma la lección «Errores de validación por campo con useActionState»?

La mayoría de las lecciones de CoddyKit toman alrededor de 5–10 minutos. Cada una es compacta e interactiva, así que avanzas constantemente y retomas exactamente por donde dejaste en la web y la app.

¿Puedo escribir y ejecutar código en esta lección de Next.js 15 Fullstack (App Router + Server Actions)?

Sí. Cada lección de Next.js 15 Fullstack (App Router + Server Actions) incluye un editor de código integrado, así que escribes y ejecutas código real directamente en tu navegador y obtienes retroalimentación instantánea de IA — sin configuración local necesaria.

Todas las lecciones de este curso

  1. Mejora progresiva con la propiedad Action de form
  2. Estados de espera y carga con useFormStatus
  3. Errores de validación por campo con useActionState
  4. Respuesta instantánea con useOptimistic
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